Avondale Guineas form guide for Ellerslie Derby

Press, 24 December 1988, Page 26

Avondale Guineas form guide for Ellerslie Derby

Special correspondent Auckland

Considering the remarkably valuable guide that Avondale Guineas form has proved to be it is hard to see how Lou Morton can be beaten in the Derby at Ellerslie on Monday.

The influence of Avondale on the big three-year-old race at Ellerslie, nowadays the New Zealand Derby, backed by the Wilson and Horton Group, is such that it must surely weight heavily with betters. Since the Avondale race was lengthened in 1976, from 1600 to 200 metres, 11 of its winners went on to the Derby at Ellerslie six to be successful again. One of the others, Altitude, was pulled up in the Derby after a bleeding attack, another came fourth and the other three, sixth. Weston Lea, the Avondale winner of 1987, was prevented from running at Ellerslie, fatally injured on the eve of the race. Satisfy got the Derby, albeit on promotion from second after an inquiry, and he had been a close third at Avondale. Even the best of the two-race winners did not compare with Lou Morton in the way he scored at Avondale — in front all the way, in record time and by an almost certain record six-lengths margin. Lou Morton, a Foxton colt trained by the Ivil father-and-son partnership, won a 2000 metres for three-year-olds at Te Rapa before running at Avondale, very gamely, it must be said, but giving no indication he would be so vastly superior in the Guineas.

The horse, quite clearly, improved between Te Rapa and Avondale and, according to Craig Ivil, the junior member of the training partnership, he has continued to thrive. After Avondale Ivil stayed on at Cambridge with Lou Morton, the horse stabled at Laurie Laxon’s thoroughlyequipped property. The arrangement has proved imminently satisfactory, Lou Morton enjoying his new environment and his big-race rider, Tony Allan, who is employed by Laxon, at hand daily to put him through his training. Lou Morton made his own, strong pace, at both Te Rapa and Avondale. The tactics his camp choose to adopt this time, going for New Zealand’s richest three-year-old prize, will be interesting. Craig Ivil believes it is not absolutely necessary for the colt to race in front, he would be as comfortable just off the pace.

With Lou Morton so far out on his own the worth of the minor placegetters in the Avondale Guineas — The Gentry, Yukon Gold, Krona, Regal Echo and Espiare were next in a bunch — became in some question yet all ran wiith reasonable credit.

The Gentry had been well back then forced over much extra ground; Espiare was required as usual to allow Lou Morton and the other leaders very big starts into the last 800 metres.

Krona, bracketed with Testament through the

spring and early summer as the best three-year-old, and Espiare were the main disappointments of the Avondale Guineas. Both have had some hard racing, the question is how well they have freshened again for this one.

Jetbet: 2 Race 1 11.30 NURSERY HANDICAP $10,000 two-year-olds 880m. 1 271 Aspiration 12 .... P. Tims 55.0 2 35 Obstacle 1 . . . B. Sargent 53.5 3 2209 Sparkling Spi 9 . . . M. Rotherham 53.5 4 Cyclone Suzie 4 . . . . . . D. Healey 53.0 5 Danore Belle 7 . . . . . . . .G. Childs 53.0 6 Eulogy Rose 8 . . . . . L. O’Sullivan 53.0 7 Flying Melody 3 . . . 53.0 8 Irish Deal 18 9 Lady Peerless 10. . . . . . P. Fearon 53.0 10 Lord Carnoustie 15 . 53.0 12 Red Rocket 5 . ... T. Allan 53.0 13 4 Straight Flo 6 . . G. Cooksley 53.0 16 Zinbadio 2 . . M. Coleman 53.0 52.5 18 5 Ginty’s Bell 11 . . . . . . . .D. Peake 52.5 Emergencies: The Blues, Lord Carnoustie. Scratched: Marie’s Boy, Tend. Race 2 12.05 GRAEME THOMSON $15,000; 2100m. 1 1611 Fleetward Lad 6 . . . . . A. Madden 64.5 2 0242 Patezza 15 T. Gillies 61.0 3 8812 Batterill 5 . . B. McDonald 60.5 4 0005 Upali 11 . . . . J. Archer 60.5 5 3245 Club Bar 13 . . . T. Autridge 60.0 6 2001 Lunar Light 14 . . . W. Mita 60.0 7 4952 Rich Wizard 3 . . . . . . C. Thornton 60.0 8 4243 Cupfull 8 P. Tims 59.5 9 2380 Nanu 2 . . D. Fitzgerald 59.5 10 0465 Tommyhu 7 . . . . R. Collett 59.5 11 3565 Baraz 9 . . . . R. Collett 59.0 12 6 Bold Flash 12. . . . 59.0 13 0508 Darling One 10. . . . . . T. Sneddon 59.0 14 054 Invaluable 4 S. Stacey 59.0 15 602 Regal Empress 1. . . . . D. Graham 59.0 Scratched: Bull Market. Race 3 12.40 REDOUBT PARK BREEDERS PLATE $15,000; two-year-old colts and geldings 1100m. 1 3251 Baronet 13 w.u 2 1 Danzaway 4 . . . G. Cooksley 55.0 3 21 Super Dancer 2 . . W. Foote 55.0 4 3216 Gold Fever 3 . . . D. Johnson 54.5 5 2 Tanzam 10 . . . M. Coleman 53.5 6 282 Turnham Green 5 . 53.5 7 Assault Craft 12 . . 52.5 9 Full Of Love 8 . . . D. Peake 52.5 10 54 Initial Approach 11 . . . . P. Fearon 52.5 11 6 Gum Strike 6. . . . G. Childs 52.0 12 74 Red Arc 1 . . L. Ballantyne 52.0 13 6 Sugartown 7 ... . . . . . R. McKay 52.0 Scratched; Cordero. Race 4 1.20 STAMFORD CARDS IMPROVERS $15,000; 1200m. 1 2520 Ivory Style 13 . . L. O’Sullivan 55.0 2 2 Red And Gold 6 . . . . . . M. Barrie 55.0 3 0030 Bad Times 9 . . . . . P. den Hertog 55.0 4 3 Classic Row 7 . . . G. Childs 55.0 5 1 Hypervain 8 . . . G. Cooksley 55.0 6 4010 Just Dinkum 16 . . . ... J. Walker 55.0 7 15 La Ripioux 2 ... . T. Allan 55.0 8 106 Lancaster Square 1 P. Tims 55.0 9 21 Uninvited 11 . ,Y. Yokoyama55.0 10 0560 Dashing Stick 10 . . . .R. Caddigan55.0 11 1000 Harbor Wave 3 . . . C. West 55.0 12 0 Ski Dazzle 15. . . . ... A. Tweedie 55.0 13 0 Three Dee 4 . . C. Treymane 55.0 14 0 Rufrula 12 55.0 15 Heracles 5 55.0 16 9 Tani 14 55.0 17 000 Clevedon Lad 17. . 55.0 Emergencies Heracles, Tani, Clevedon Lad. Race 5 T 1.55 LADIES MILE $40,000; three-year-old fillies; 1600m. 1 4771 Abachi 4 . . . . R. McKay 54.0 2 0213 Anchorbar 13 ... . N. Tiley 54.0 3 2221 Anne Of Strafford 18. L. O’Sullivan 54.0 4 9117 Chelsea Annie 19 . G. Childs 54.0 5 4566 Echo Lass 17... . L. Cropp 54.0 54.0 7 0412 Fortez 12 P. Tims 54.0 8 6 Fun is Racing 1 . . . H. Mackinnon 54.0 9 1441 Fun’s Everything 3 . . . G. Cooksley 54.0 10 5651 Grey Invader 9 . . . . . . . B. Sargent 54.0 11 2622 Little Irish 14 ... . J. Collett 54.0 12 2339 Miss Bridget 11 . . 54.0 13 1550 Miss Kirwan 15. . . T. Allan 54.0 14 4208 Onawa 10 . . ,M. Coleman 54.0 15 Queen's March 7. . 54.0 16 4215 Royal Pay 8 . . . . D. Healey 54.0 17 0610 Signet Ring 16 . . . . . . E. Harrison 54.0 18 0118 St Clemens 6. . . . . . L. Ballantyne 54.0 19 117 Syrian Sea 2 ... . . . . B. Hibberd 54.0 Emergency: Queen’s March.

Race 6 T 2.30 KING’S PLATE $40,000; weight-for-age; 1600m. 1 69 Infinite Secret 7 ... . , . ,G. Stewart58.0 2 2250 Mr Spock 3 58.0 3 4709 Royal Grit 6 . L. Ballantyne 58.0 4 809 Sir Gareth 8 . . . D. Healey 58.0 5 41 Snabben 4 . . . T. Archer 58.0 7 3212 Injustice 5 . ... T. Allan 57.0 8 5904 Ayla 10 . C. Treymane 55.5 9 1212 Horlicks 2 . L. O'Sullivan 55.5 10 618 My Good Omen 9 . . . . A. Tweedie 55.5 11 6 Taiyo 1 . Y. Yokoyama 55.5 Race 7 D, TF 3.10 JAGUAR PLATE $100,000; 2400m. 1 1315 Sounds Like Fun 16 . . M. Coleman 56.0 2 1701 Maurine 1 . . . . T. Allan 54.5 3 1321 Prince Kumai 17. . . . . P. Richards 53.5 4 6093 Kotare Chief 9 . . . . . .R. Caddigan52.5 5 0342 Plume D’Or Veille 6. . L. Ballantyne 52.5 6 4189 Solstice 4 . . . .G. Childs 52.5 7 0408 Dark Moments 10 . . . L. O'Sullivan 52.0 8 8127 Te Akau Prince 3 . . . . . .J. Collett52.0 9 2176 Red Chiffon 2 . . B. Hibberd 51.5 10 1901 Spyglass 13 . . G. Cooksley 51.5 12 4420 Argonaut Style 8. . . . . . R. McKay 50.0 13 0874 Brooke Bond 12 . . . 48.5 14 7073 False Ayelash 7 . . . . . . M. Griffin 48.0 15 1120 Icelandic Beauty 15. H. MacKinnon 48.0 16 8470 Podgoran 14 . . D. Johnson 48.0 17 3148 Yudan 11 . . ,D. Peake 48.0 Scratched: In Pursuit. Race 8 D, T, TF 3.50 “NEW ZEALAND HERALD” DERBY $400,000 three-year-olds; 2400m. 1 8 Aces and Kings 9 . . . . A. Tweedie 55.5 2 7712 Amber Prince 10. . . 55.5 3 2744 Astral Boy 19 55.5 4 1069 Bravo Bell 3 . . . R. McKay 55.5 5 4080 Come Racing 7. . . . 55.5 6 3864 Fast Draw 2 . . G. Cooksley 55.5 7 1124 Krona 13 . . . . P. Tims 55.5 8 6251 Lord Mellay 15 ... . . . B. Hibberd 55.5 9 9411 Lou Morton 12 ... . . . . . T. Allan 55.5 10 8183 Manhatten Fire 18. . 55.5 11 1650 Master Painter 5. . . . . . P. Fearon 55.5 12 5240 Mr Brooker 16 ... . . . . D. Healey 55.5 13 4245 Regal Echo 20 ... . . L. O’Sullivan 55.5 14 3000 Rural Prince 17. . . . . . .G. Stewart55.5 15 0250 Star Affair 8 55.5 16 0812 The Gentry 4 . . . .G. Childs 55.5 17 2383 Yukon Gold 11 ... . . . . ,J. Collett 55.5 18 2016 Espiare 6 . . M. Coleman 53.0 19 1834 Lady Burwick 1 . . . . . . J. Walker 53.0 20 9271 Sarah Fay 14 . . . . N. Tiley 53.0 Emergencies: Amber Prince, Astral Boy, Manhatten Fire, Star Affair. Race 9 4.30 NEWMARKET HANDICAP $40,000; 1200m. 2 5 Ma Chiquita 7 . . . . . L. O’Sullivan 56.0 3 00 Sirstaci 9 . . . . T. Allan 56.0 4 1 Hot Ice 6 . . B. Hibberd 55.0 5 79 Sir Gerald 11 . . . B. Sargent 55.0 6 3222 Spring Easy 1 . . . . 55.0 7 04 Wairere Lord 4. . . . . .R. Caddigan 54.0 8 1217 Her Royal Highness 8P. den Hertog53.0 9 2311 Zephyr Magic 5 . . . . . . .G. Childs 52.5 10 9 Address 10 . . M. Coleman 52.0 11 1054 Dream Again 2. . . . . . . W. Arnold 52.0 Scratched: Squire Gray. Race 10 TF 5.05 COLORGRAPHIC INTERNATIONAL $15,000; 1400m. 1 6332 Highly Regal 4 . . . . P. den Hertog 57.0 2 81 Knight Of Sin 9 . . . . L. Ballantyne 56.0 3 7 Storm Damage 10. . . . . G. Stewart 55.5 4 4121 Turnpike Lane 14 . . . . A. Tweedie 55.5 5 0454 Cayo Princess 8 . . . D. Weatherley 55.0 6 5028 Italian Affair 7 ... . ... J. Walker 54.5 7 0575 Noble Mayo 13 ... . . . . P. Fearon 54.0 8 0184 Final Brae 5 . . D. Johnson 53.5 9 060 Ponsardin 6 . . . .D. Peake 53.5 10 0000 Red Fleet 3 . L. O’Sullivan 53.5 11 3 Taonganui 1 . . . . T. Allan 53.5 12 4311 Ayabar 11 . . G. Cooksley 53.0 13 1054 Dream Again 2. . . . . . . W. Arnold 53.0 14 1003 Marchero 15 . . . ,G. Childs 53.0 15 686 Heavena 12 . . . B. Sargent 52.0